Chapter 19: Rocky, Rough Revelations

Litleo occupied herself the best she could as her injury slowly healed. Indeedee ordered a minimum of a week’s rest, so not being able to do much, she begrudgingly agreed to help out in various places at the guild— sorting files for Watchog or testing devices for Helin. On the off hours, she had unexpected visits from Team Piksqueak, Team Chase, and Team Buck. Ezera also made sure to come in every night to relay what he did for the day with Dewott. While they were mostly small-scale commissions, Litleo figured that completing them would mean he’d be ready to take on tougher ones later. This continued until the morning of the third day in her recovery.

Sunshine hit Litleo’s eyelids, causing her to sit up and adjust her position. She couldn’t quite place why something felt off, however. It wasn’t until she rubbed the sleep out did she realize no pain came from her “hurt” paw. ‘It healed already?‘ she thought. Litleo tentatively got to three feet and hovered her injured paw over the floor, gently pressing on it. ‘It feels… normal. Huh?‘

With this discovery, Litleo hurriedly went down to Ezera’s room, forcing him out of bed. “Get up, Ezera, I need you to see this with me.”

Ezera groggily opened one eye. “Wha- what? It’s not roll call…”

“Come with me to Indeedee. My paw could be healed already,” she urged, rapidly nudging him.

“Okay, okay, getting up… And to think during my test you couldn’t wait to get away from me…”

Litleo death glared at him before going. She used her three legs to get down still, just in case it wasn’t actually healed and she somehow dreamed it up. They came into the infirmary where the nurse was hunched over her tiny desk.

“Hey, I think it’s healed,” Litleo said, waving her paw the best she could in the cast.

Indeedee spun in surprise. “That’s one way to say good morning, cuties. Wait- careful, Litleo! Let’s test that out first before you go and hurt it prematurely,” she warned, placing Litleo on a bed. She tore through the cast, breaking it apart. With the bundle of plastic and metal no longer in the way, she checked underneath Litleo’s fur, then pressed softly on her paw. “Any discomfort?”

“Nope.”

“Try putting full pressure down.”

Litleo pushed as hard as she could. The only thing standing out were her muscles feeling stiff after days of not being used. “Nothing.”

“Strange… you either have remarkable recovery or my friend’s treatment works wonders.”

“So I was right,” Litleo remarked. ‘Finally, I can investigate the memory and make some progress.‘

“Indeed you are,” Indeedee said, lips pursed. “Healing this fast only makes me concerned.”

“Wouldn’t you want things to heal quicker?” Ezera asked, throwing his arms up while yawning.

“Sure you do, cutie, but this is a fracture we’re talking about. A bone. That takes time, whether you’re a legendary or otherwise. Litleo, you have some explaining to do.”

“Maybe it wasn’t that bad to begin with,” Litleo reasoned. It had to be, if she healed that fast.

“Mm-mm. It was mildly serious.” Indeedee sighed, rubbing her hands on her hips. “The only way we’d know the cause is if you came in again with similar injuries, and that’s hardly what we want. Broken bones are rare occurrences, thank heavens for that.”

“Look, all I want to know is if I’m clear to start doing guild work again. If I have to spend another minute cooped in a room…” she mumbled, standing up.

“Yes, I can take you off injury leave. I’ll see that the leaders know about it before they begin roll call.”

“Thanks.” Litleo drew a quick breath and jumped to the floor, unsure if her paw would protest. All paws landed without any problems. “See you, Indeedee.”

“Mhm… bye bye now. Be extra careful!”

Litleo leaned in to Ezera’s ear as she passed him. “I need to talk to you.”

Ezera folded his arms, following her to the empty lobby. As they settled into a corner of the room, he said, “You mentioned something about this a few nights ago.”

“I did,” Litleo replied. “I haven’t told anymon about this, so make sure to keep it a secret, okay?” She watched him nod. “I’ve been having flashbacks about Rockruff, and me to an extent.”

Ezera’s eyes widened as he leaned in closer. “About what happened to you?” he whispered.

“Bits and pieces,” she said, holding back a scowl. It was wishful thinking hoping that the whole picture would reveal itself; her brain liked playing puzzle pieces. “The day you brought me that rainflower, it triggered a memory. Rockruff and I took an unofficial commission by a furret. I think he wanted us to escort him somewhere secret.”

“Unoff- uh, nevermind, not important. Does this furret have a name?”

“No. All I have to go off of is they live in Kaiyo Town.”

“Better hope there aren’t many furret in town,” he murmured, scratching his forehead. “Unless you know exactly what they look like?”

Litleo shook her head. “I don’t, we’ll need to ask around. I have an idea where they might be located.”

“That’s your plan for today, then?”

“Unless you have a very pressing matter to attend to, yes,” Litleo said. She frowned, wondering why he asked that. ‘Hold on… he said your and not our. Did I just…?‘ A burst of heat rushed into her mane. Litleo refused to break eye contact, although the embarrassment in her chest screamed otherwise.

Ezera formed a wide grin. “I’ve got some experience on my own now. I like how you instantly assumed I’d be going with you.”

Litleo bit her lip and looked toward the ceiling. “I’d rather you did,” she muttered, not loud enough for him to hear.

“Hm?”

“I’m assuming you are coming?” Litleo asked, looking back down.

Ezera’s grin only grew wider. “Yeah of course. But, if you wanted to admit something I’m also open to that…”

“There’s nothing to admit if you know the answer already.”

“Can’t say I didn’t try,” Ezera said, chuckling. “But I think I might still be assigned with Dewott. We were technically supposed to work together all week cause of your leg. Are you okay if he happens to come along?”

Litleo flicked her tail in response. “Doesn’t matter to me. As long as he pulls his weight.”

The rest of the guild soon filed in for roll call. The leaders gathered on the stage and Sirfetch’d tapped his leek on the podium.

“Good morning, adventurers,” he greeted. “I will be skiplooming right along to the important news today. Team Ace has found another aetherless area, like the one in Verdan Forest.”

The mood in the lobby suddenly became tense and dour as Sirfetch’d stepped away, allowing Rapidash to take the stage.

“This one was sighted near The Pristine Steppe. Dears, is there anything you’d like to say about it?”

“It displayed the same signs as the first sight. Lifeless and bland,” Inteleon said, waving his hand nonchalantly. “We questioned the locals and gathered that it happened during the day. Weirdly enough, none of them saw it directly, all they recall is some rumbling.”

“Hm, I believe that lines up with Reuniclus’ previous notes. We’ll have to double check. Thank you.” Rapidash sighed, looking over the lobby. “I won’t tell you dears that this is something we should dismiss. Multiple occurrences only signal trouble is brewing. However, this is what our guild’s original duty was, remember that. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Sirfetch’d stomped on the platform. “Of that you should have no doubt! Happy adventuring today. May the sword guide you.”

“And the shield protect us!” everyone chanted.

Ezera didn’t participate. He stared off into space, and Litleo reached out to tap him when he put his hand up. “You found me at one of those, right?”

“I did. What about it?” Litleo said.

“Do you think it’s possible someone else… like me, could’ve been at that second area?”

Litleo blinked, thinking. “I suppose. If there were, I’m pretty sure Team Ace would’ve found them.”

“How do we know someone else didn’t find them? Or for that matter, they didn’t leave?” He glanced at the carpet, fidgeting. “Maybe whatever it is is my way home too…”

“Which, as far we know, is random and unconnected. We can’t do anything about it, Ezera. Leave that to Reuniclus and those shady researchers.”

Ezera nodded, though she knew he would still be thinking about it.

Dewott came up to them, eyes widening as he glanced at Litleo’s paw. “Your paw is healed?“

“We’ll fill you in as we walk,” Ezera replied. “Although, where are we walking to, exactly?”

“The rougher part of Kaiyo Town. You’ve never been there, so don’t wander,” Litleo said.

“When you say rougher, do you mean shadier or state wise?”

“You’re about to see for yourself.”

---

Ezera, Litleo, and Dewott plodded through the worn street, although it was mainly Ezera gawking at the scenery. Cracks and dust layered over much of the cobble street. The paint chipped on the walls of various buildings, exposing the original material underneath. Where the plaza drowned in lively ambience, this area of Kaiyo Town bathed in the opposite. It screamed old. ‘How could the same town have completely different environments?‘ Ezera wondered.

They passed a wooden booth manned by a monferno, who almost jumped out of the window opening he operated in. “Fellas!”

Ezera and Dewott jolted at the greeting, while Litleo halted to face them. At the top of the booth read a sign of the booth’s name: ‘Tealicious.’ Ornament versions of Oran Berries dangled off tiny hooks in the top corners. Despite its worn exterior, the shop gave off a homely vibe.

“Could I interest you in some tea?” Monferno asked, flashing a friendly smile.

“You could interest me in some information if you have it,” Litleo replied, approaching him.

“Buy a tea and I’ll see if I can help. How about it?”

“Is that the leverage you should be going for? You’re going to need a better pitch if you want my money.”

Monferno laughed, resting his arms behind the window. “Business ain’t busy like it used to be. Help a struggling guy out?”

“Playing the pity card.” Litleo looked to Ezera and Dewott. “Well?”

Ezera pointed to himself. “What are you looking at us for?”

“Got any tea you like? I don’t drink it myself.”

“Neither do I…” Ezera turned to Dewott. “Do you?”

“I don’t either. Too bland for me,” he signed, sticking his tongue out as he shook his head.

“No wonder this business is dying… Guess I’ll take it, my parents always did tell me not to be picky.” Ezera stepped forward, reading the signs to the best of his ability and trying to look for a name that didn’t sound too outlandish. ‘Dreepy Drop, Snover Sap, Kri… I’m not even going to bother trying to figure that out.‘ Ezera cleared his throat. “I’ll take the uh, Vic… one. Starts with a V.”

“Victory Bell?” Monferno asked.

“Yeah, that.”

“Coming right up. That’ll be fifty poké if you don’t mind.”

Litleo handed the money over. Monferno slid it down where it clinked with other poké. He turned his back and grabbed a small kettle, dispensing water from a faucet into it. He then smushed some odd berries together, letting the juice drip in. Monferno slotted the berries’ seeds into a tea bag. For the final step, he held the kettle over his tail, whistling all the while.

“Now that we’ve paid, care to answer a question or two?” Litleo asked.

“Shoot,” Monferno replied.

“Do you know any furret around here? I took a request from one a while ago.”

“Furret? I did,” Monferno answered, fanning the steam of the kettle into his nose. He exhaled heavily. “He passed away a few months ago, unfortunately. I can direct you to his daughter, she should still live at his place.”

“I’ll take it, why not.”

“Just keep walking down this way and make a left. Once you see the tiny homes, go in and look for lot one-seventeen,” Monferno directed, gazing down the street.

“How do you know where she lives?” Ezera asked.

“Furret was a regular of mine. I played Water, Grass, Fire all the time with Frenn while they waited.”

“…Frenn? I have a million questions from those two sentences.”

“Frenn, the nickname his daughter went by. Can’t be calling both of them furret, can we?”

‘So they’ll call one Furret and one Frenn, but won’t give them both unique names? Are you kidding?’ Ezera’s face contorted in confusion. “This system is so convoluted!” he whispered to Litleo. “Nicknames? They might as well use their Kin names too.”

“I didn’t make the customs. Take it up with the council if you have a problem,” Litleo dismissed, shaking her head.

“Seriously, they should learn to pick a name and stick with it…”

The kettle Monferno held began releasing steam. He took this cue to ready a cup. He poured the tea into it and laid the tea bag inside, before finishing it off with a lid that covered half the top.

“One Victory Bell. Hope you enjoy!” he said, sliding it through the window opening.

Ezera grabbed the tea and blew to cool it off. Once assured his mouth wouldn’t get scalded, he took a tiny sip. He already didn’t know what to expect from something called ‘Victory Bell,’ but it wasn’t… whatever sensation was going on in his mouth at the moment.

“What’s, uh, in this tea?” Ezera asked, smacking his lips.

“Cheri, Aguav, Hondew, and the key part, Victreebel drool!”

Ezera almost flung the cup at the wall, but kept his cool. “That’s… interesting.”

Litleo walked away from the shop, snickering. “It was so worth it to come here now.”

The trio went further down the street, and once they found a trash can out of sight from the tea vendor’s shop, Ezera quickly dumped the cup inside.

“That bad?” Dewott signed, patting Ezera’s shoulder.

“You’re wasteful,” Litleo teased, passing through the black gate leading into the housing district.

“I didn’t see you drinking someone else’s saliva,” Ezera said, shuddering.

“You didn’t offer.”

“I’ll happily dig it up out of the trash if you want.”

“It’s dirty now, no thanks.”

“Okay, let’s go back and order anoth-“

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ll stay here,” Dewott signed, standing next to the gate. Ezera and Litleo stopped in surprise, not used to having a third person in their midst. “Furret might get scared if she sees three guild members outside her house.“

“Good catch. We’ll be back quickly,” Litleo acknowledged.

The homes in this area were a far cry from the repeated structures in Kaiyo Town’s newer areas. Each home had its own little lot, and their designs varied greatly from one another. One plot housed a perfect square with a couple orange cubes stacked on top, and another was shaped like like a teacup, having purple ‘liquid’ slosh out as its roof. Another house was even painted and shaped to appear like a giant rock.

The pathway curved around, and it became apparent that the whole district went around in a loop. Soon enough they came across a metal plaque with the number one hundred seventeen engraved on it. Litleo stepped onto the trimmed lawn. A short series of stones paved the way to the acorn-looking house. She rang the heavy wind chime dangling next to the door.

A furret opened the door, cautiousness entering her face upon seeing the two of them. “Can I help you?” Her voice was soft and airy.

“Hi, I’d like to ask you some things about your dad. We’re from the guild,” Litleo stated, flashing the guild badge.

“My… father? I’m sorry, what does the guild want with him? He’s no longer with us.”

Ezera raised his hand. “We’re sorry to hear that. What Litleo means to say is that we could use your help in, uh…”

“A personal matter of mine,” Litleo continued, hushedly. “I’m sort of… dealing with memory loss.”

“You should see a psychic for that-” Furret began, readying to close the door.

“Listen for a moment please,” Litleo interrupted. “I hate to be rude but look, the last thing I remember is helping, more than likely, your father out. And I need to know what it was about.”

Furret stared in silence for a few seconds. “…You’re the ‘mon he got to escort him those few months ago?”

“So it was an escort…” Litleo mumbled. She took a step back. “I am. Do you remember where he wanted to be escorted to?”

Furret poked her head out of the doorframe, peeking at the nearby houses. “Come in, please. Talking like this is nowhere acceptable for friends.”

“Friends?” Ezera said, bewildered. ‘That’s a jump in development…‘

“Yes, friends. You helped my father with one of his last wishes. Come in. And call me Frenn.”

Ezera hesitantly moved to accept but Litleo blocked him using her tail.

“We can’t stay long, sorry,” she said. “It’s best if you explain here… Frenn.”

Ezera knew those were the code words for, ‘I’m not interested in your idle chatter.’

Frenn sat down, messing with her fur. “Okay… the thing is… my mother was wild, my father wasn’t. Needless to say, town rules forbid wildmon from living here, so… Once a week, they met in the fields past town. After my mother passed, my father constantly went to visit her favorite place. The last time he went, his age made it hard to go alone, so he needed to hire an adventurer. He couldn’t find any.”

“Huh? You could’ve put in a request at the guild,” Litleo said.

“We couldn’t. My father was afraid somemon might find out about… my wild origins.” Frenn stopped picking at her fur, looking at Litleo. “He came home one day ecstatic, suddenly saying he did find a ‘mon who would do it.”

Litleo shifted her paws. “That’s cause he met Rockruff… Anyway, where is this place?”

“It’s northeast of Verdan Forest, in the space between there and Mystic Fane. The wildmon have a sacred spot for honoring spirits.”

“Your father… did come back from the trip, right?” Litleo asked, tensing up.

“Of course. Alone, though. He told me that the adventurers he hired stayed behind.”

“Good…” Litleo sighed, bringing out the Wonder Map. “How can we find this spot? I’m hoping seeing it will jog my memory.”

Frenn drummed her paws on her stomach, thinking. “The map won’t help you much, it’s a guarded secret for us. It would be best if you found a wildmon there who could take you. I’d offer, but I can’t leave town due to work.”

“Any description would help. I don’t care how vague it is.” Litleo placed the Wonder Map at Frenn’s feet.

Frenn moved the map’s display to where she talked about. “If I imagine I’m standing right in the center…” She pointed to someplace Ezera couldn’t see from his position. “I can’t guarantee it’s one hundred percent accurate. Just look for the tree with the beginnings of pink leaves. Seeing that means you should be nearby. At that point, some ‘mon will also be there you can ask.”

“We’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“Anything for friends. You made my father really happy.”

Litleo turned her back and left Frenn’s house. Ezera followed in suit after a brief shared nod with the furret. Dewott got to his feet as they drew close.

“Did you get anything?” he signed.

“A bit.” Litleo closed her eyes, mumbling under her breath. “She thinks I did her a favor, when in reality I wasn’t on board with the idea in the first place.”

“Hey, it’s like you said to me, it’s in the past. You still went along with it, didn’t you? So part of the thanks is deserved,” Ezera said. He felt the sentiment wouldn’t reach her, but it was worth a shot on the occasion it did.

“That far past Verdan Forest, we won’t be able to make the trip with the hours we have left in the day.”

“Really? Then, uh, what then? Wake up early tomorrow and try?”

Litleo shook her head, plopping down and checking her satchel’s contents. “We don’t have time. Let’s take the Skidoo Service. If we don’t make it back before nightfall, we’ll camp someplace.”

“Skidoo Service? Why have I never heard them come up before?”

“Not many ‘mon like to use them because of their… not-so-great fee,” Dewott explained.

“Exactly. It’s a rule of thumb to use them only when you’re in a desperate rush or have a ton of poké to burn,” Litleo added.

“And which of those two are we qualifying for?” Ezera said, crossing his arms.

“Focus on the main thing, Ezera.”

“Okay, but fair warning… I don’t exactly have fond memories of camping. I’ve always been more of an indoors kinda guy, haha…” Granted, he’d only ever camped once in his life, but it was an experience he certainly didn’t want to relive. ‘All the bugs and the cold… eugh. I guess that’s not much of a concern now that I’m a pokémon, but still.‘

Litleo unsurprisingly ignored his complaint. “If that’s it, we’ll go pick up a few things and leave.”

---

After alerting Watchog of their plans and buying a few extra supplies for the road, the three were off. The skiddo proved to be quite efficient, getting them to their destination within the span of a few hours. As soon as they dismounted their ride, skiddo clopped off without another word. Litleo went ahead and approached the scraggly treeline.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many forests located on a continent before. We go east, forest. West, more forest. North, hello, another forest! It never ends!” Ezera exclaimed to the sky.

“You can’t say that when you haven’t even been to the upper half of the continent,” Litleo stated, taking the lead.

“I heard the climate is more extreme up there,” Dewott signed.

“Extreme or not, it’s just weird calling this the Veiled Continent when I’ve seen more trees than veils,” Ezera commented. He took the middle spot, leaving Dewott with the rear.

While this plot of trees proved to be less dense than Verdan Forest’s, it inherited the sense of mystique from Mystic Fane. Miniscule, translucent green balls of light floated off the ground, only to disappear when they got near it. Baby vines draped down from the canopy in tangled messes, with the occasional cobwebs appearing in the crevices between branch and trunk.

As the three of them walked, Litleo let Ezera fill the silence, who mostly spoke to Dewott. At least now she wasn’t the sponge for his endless questions or ramblings. Eventually, conversation soon tapered off and Ezera took that cue to move to her.

“So… you told me that your memories have been slowly coming back to you,” Ezera said, drawing up next to her. “And that the rainflower triggered it. Any idea why?”

‘The obvious answer is that I recognized it somehow. But… I was thinking about its smell before that happened,‘ Litleo thought. “Um, there could be two reasons. The first is I’ve run into this flower before, and the second… was its rainy smell. Don’t ask why.”

Ezera’s shoulders lifted. “Oh, petrichor?”

“You know it?” Litleo asked, wide eyed.

“Err, only because my friend told me to look up the term.” He shrugged. “Weird name, but anyway, I feel like it has to be because you saw it before.”

“Maybe… But it doesn’t line up with the other times I’ve had that annoying headache hit me.”

“Well, it has to be significant to you somehow. What caused those headaches last time?”

Litleo slowed down slightly. The first instance was when she found Ezera, and it was because he mentioned being human. She couldn’t say that Ezera was the trigger, could she?

Then again, maybe he was. The other headaches occurred due to things he did. Maybe it wasn’t a stretch to say Ezera was linked to finding the truth. Not just about Rockruff, but…

Litleo released a heated breath to cool her mane off. Not yet. First she needed to figure out why that comment of his started it all. ‘I know it’s not as simple as him doing things Rockruff would do.‘

She opened her mouth, only to get sidetracked as a different colored leaf caught her eye. Amidst the yellowing leaves on the tree tops, a pink one boldly stood out from its brethren.

“We’re getting near,” she announced. “Keep an eye out for any wildmon.”

They navigated through the tree trunks in their way, still seeing no signs of any other life. Frenn said it would be nearby after seeing the leaf, but how nearby was “nearby?” Luckily, a drumming sound to the northwest reached their ears.

Litleo glanced at Ezera and Dewott, signaling them to stay back with her paw. She padded forward and poked her head out from behind a tree.

A thwackey was rhythmically drumming their sticks atop a turtwig’s shell, nodding their head to the beat. Scattered to their sides were a few other wildmon like spinarak and cutiefly, all casually speaking to each other. They were assembled around a tall bramble patch, and the only way in seemed to be through the one opening behind them.

‘These ‘mon have to be guards. It makes sense if this is sacred to them.‘ She motioned her teammates to come closer. “Alright, Ezera and I are going to try talking to them. Dewott, stay here in case they attack so you can flank them.”

“Assuming the worst, are we?” Ezera whispered, frowning.

Dewott shyly backed up. “She has a point. Plus, I don’t do too well against Grass-types. I’ll do my best to annoy them with Water Pulse if anything happens.“

Litleo and Ezera went into the open, causing the wildmon to pause their chatter. The thwackey slowed down their drumming to a light tap. None of them seemed eager to ask why an axew and litleo were standing in front of them, so the latter initiated.

“We’re from the Kaiyo Adventurer’s Guild,” Litleo explained, pointing her tail to the badge on Ezera’s scarf. “We need to take a look inside to see what you’re, I’m assuming, guarding.”

“Sorry, missy. We don’t welcome visitors inside no more,” the thwackey responded.

She stifled a groan at the statement. At this point she couldn’t even be surprised. “Not even if our superiors need us to?”

“You could be under Arceus’ direct orders and we still wouldn’t let you. No ‘mon that doesn’t have family ties here is coming in.”

“We left it open for viewing with no supervision, and look what happened to it! It became a mess! A veritable wreck!” the turtwig exclaimed, rising up onto his legs.

“Wait, what happened? Did someone trash the place?” Ezera asked.

“You tell me! A battle obviously took place. We found charred bits and giant claws marks everywhere! If the spirits could talk, they would not be happy about that, let me tell you.”

Ezera rested his chin on his hand. “We get your concerns, but do we seem the type to mess it up further?”

“Not exactly…” the thwackey resumed. “Still, sorry. We respect you guildies, but if you don’t have a family member with you, no entry.”

‘They’re pretty adamant about this. Talking’s going to get us nowhere.‘ “Fine. We won’t take anymore of your time then,” Litleo said.

She turned Ezera around and led him back to the trees out of the wildmons’ sight. Although they couldn’t be seen, she still felt they were being watched. Litleo chalked it up to her skepticism and kept her ears on alert.

Dewott rose from the attempted camouflage he put on himself. He had tacked a few small leaves to his fur, which wasn’t helped by his natural blue color contrasting the yellow.

“I’m guessing they weren’t open to you going in?” Dewott signed, picking the leaves off himself.

“Getting in is gonna be tough if they’re that stubborn. Doesn’t it remind you of someone?” Ezera said, leaning in to nudge Litleo.

Litleo batted his hand away. “Aren’t you hilarious. Let me guess, your plan to change their mind is to find something they need help with?”

“While that’d be my normal option, I knew you’d be against it, so I got a slightly different one. I wanna hear what you guys are thinking first, though.”

Litleo’s eyebrows raised in amusement. “We could wait until it gets dark and distract them. Then knock’em out while they’re not paying attention.”

“Or sneak in another way if we can find one,” Dewott added.

“Oh hey, I was thinking something along those lines. Except…” Ezera began.

“Except what?”

“How about a distraction that’s a little more… big?” He grabbed a twig, holding it up and knocking it over with his hand. “Uh… You get the point.”

Dewott glanced at a nearby tree. “You want to chop down a tree?“

“That would take forever, Ezera. They’d also figure out it was us pretty quickly,” Litleo shot down. And here she thought he could make a decent plan.

“I have another idea,” Dewott signed, faking a light bulb going off in his head. “It’s not the most sane either.“

“Spit it out.”

“What if we started a mini forest fire?“

Litleo and Ezera stared at him, until Ezera began to slowly nod.

“Hey, that could work. We could say that an arsonist is nearby,” Ezera said.

Litleo smirked, examining the floor for materials. Crazy, but something they could pull off. “We have to be very controlled with it, or we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”

Dewott pulled down his scarf slightly, eyes widening. “I didn’t think you would actually agree with it.“

“It’s a good plan. Who said a little forest fire isn’t what they needed? We’ll make sure to do it in a super sparse spot. If it gets bad, Dewott, you can snuff it out with your water. While they’re busy with us, that leaves you perfectly open to sneak in,” Ezera stated, making eye contact with Litleo.

“Attempting to burn down a habitat, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you don’t care for strangers,” Litleo remarked.

“Hey, I still do. Right now just calls for a quicker solution. You gotta get in there. Uh, Dewott, help me pick these sticks up.”

Litleo watched them gather sticks, mostly focusing on Ezera. Hearing him back her up provided much needed relief amongst her ongoing turmoil. ‘He’s real dedicated to helping me, even after everything I’ve put him through. Do I deserve it?‘

“I’m going to ask the age old question of, is there something on my face? You staring off into space is sorta unsettling,” Ezera said, pausing while his back was still hunched.

“No… I’m fine. Do you have enough for the fire?” Litleo answered, clearing her head.

“I can get a few more once we set it up, but yeah, should be enough. Let’s find a spot.”

They managed to find two locations without much foliage, making it the ideal spots to arrange the gathered sticks into a pile. Once they settled that, it was time to put the plan to action. Litleo positioned herself in front of the firewood, garnering heat in her throat.

“Okay, ready,” Ezera said on the opposite end. Dewott hid further behind, waiting to jump out on his cue.

Before Litleo could blow embers at the sticks, a five-leafed petilil emerged into her line of attack. “Waaaaiiiit!”

Litleo abruptly swallowed the embers and entered a coughing fit. Smoky wisps left her mouth as the petilil looked on in relief and worry.

“Sorry for that. I overheard you talking with the guards… I can get you in. No fire needed,” the petilil explained.

“And you waited… until now… to show yourself?” Litleo managed to say.

“A part of me wanted to see how serious you were… Anyway, I would rather avoid a fire, no matter how small.”

“Well, um, thank you. I’m Ezera. That’s Litleo and Dewott,” Ezera introduced, pointing at them. “You are…?”

“Peia,” she replied.

“Is there something you want from us?” Litleo asked, finally clearing out her throat.

Peia bent over, bowing. “Nope, it’s my token of respect for your guild.”

Litleo found that hard to buy from a random stranger, but for now, her gut wasn’t giving her any signals this was a set-up, so maybe Peia was telling the truth.

“The only thing I need from you is to tell me which ‘mon told you about this place. It would help me explain the connection to the guards,” Peia continued.

“…Do you know Frenn? She said her mother lived here,” Litleo answered.

Peia jumped at the name. “Lenan’s daughter?! Oh, goodie! That makes it easier. This way!”

Litleo, Ezera, and Dewott shared a brief confused glance before following Peia to the guards. The thwackey had resumed his drumming, and didn’t stop this time when they approached.

“Peia? What are you doing with those guild members?” he asked.

“Letting them in! I’m accompanying them so it’s okay,” Peia said, trying to hop by him.

The thwackey held his stick out to block her. “It doesn’t work like that… What family ties could you have with them?”

“They know Frenn! And since I was Lenan’s closest friend, I know Frenn too. By connections they can be related to me too!”

“That has absolutely no grounds and you know it.”

Peia’s leaves seemed to wilt. “This is silly, I’ll be inside with them. And we like the guild, there’s no reason to block them. I vouch for their character!”

“It’s true we have allowed the guild in many times before…” The thwackey drummed in thought. “I can make an exception this once. But you all promise to respect the grounds inside?”

“We promise,” Ezera said, holding up one hand.

Litleo and Dewott nodded in agreement.

“Then you can proceed.”

“Yay!” Peia exclaimed, springing back to life. “Welcome to our sacred spot!”

They entered the opening one at a time, with Litleo going first.

“Woah… this is beautiful,” Ezera remarked.

“It’s so colorful,” Dewott signed.

Litleo wasn’t interested in the sights. She padded to a stop, trying to remember if anything was familiar. Neatly trimmed trees lined the ring of brambles, all having a circular shape in their leaves’ forms. An altar covered in white lilies and daisies was erected near the back. One red, orange, and yellow sapling each grew on its left. Similarly, one green, blue and purple could be found on the right.

‘These don’t look damaged at all. How am I-‘ Litleo froze, seeing some oddly familiar flowers sprouting in a few places. Their petals were shut tight, but she couldn’t mistake them. ‘Rainflowers.‘ She carefully navigated to the altar so as to not step on the sacredness of it all. Now closer up, Litleo found a faded claw mark scored in the top right corner of the stone. ‘No headache… Is this not the place?‘

She didn’t expect that touching the mark would result in her vision darkening and a weight crushing her mind.

---

“I know he’s old but… do we really have to use one on him?” Litleo opened the top of her bag, sighing.

The rain steadily poured down on them. Hers and Rockruff’s fur was soaked to the bone, but thankfully her inner heat kept her warm. She couldn’t say the same about her partner, however.

“We can walk ourselves out of here, but I’d rather Furret take it easy on his legs,” Rockruff said next to her.

“Remind me why we only carry around two Escape Orbs.”

“For opportunities like this! You don’t want to take in the pretty sights?”

The few patches of rainflowers were in full bloom, showing off their bright azure-ness. They complemented the rest of the grove’s colors, almost stealing the show from the rainbow-like quality of the saplings.

“We’re standing in the equivalent of a holy place, I’m sure it’s not supposed to be used for sightseeing.” She inhaled, taking in the scent. “I always did like this smell.”

“What, of rain?” Rockruff asked, huddling up to her.

“Kind of. It’s a mix of rain and earth. Petrichor, they call it.”

“Hmm… I see.” Rockruff motioned his head to Furret. Their client currently rested his head against the base of the altar. “And you thought we should’ve stayed away from this request.”

Litleo hip checked him. “I’m not going to say I was wrong.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to.”

A sudden wind rushed around them as a shadow passed overhead.

“What was that?” Litleo said, glancing up but seeing nothing.

Rockruff sniffed the air. “I don’t know, could be somemon flying by.”

While they were distracted, Furret had plodded over to them. He reached into the small pouch around his waist and took out one hundred Poké. “I’ve finished paying my respects. You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you, thank you.” It was hard to tell if Furret was crying or the rain.

“Hey, it’s always a pleasure to help out honest ‘mon in need,” Rockruff said, taking the payment. “Are you ready to go?”

“I am. I should be okay making the journey home alone, unless you both are coming?”

“We might. We’re still deciding if we want to stay here for a bit.”

“The spirits wouldn’t mind two blessed souls like you. Take care.”

Rockruff rolled the Escape Orb out and sent Furret to the start of the forest. “Well, did you want to leave already?”

“I’m fine, I don’t know about you. Are you cold?” Litleo replied.

“Hehe, nothing a little body heat won’t fix.” He let his tail come to rest next to hers.

Litleo dared not to move hers. The witty retort she wanted to issue died out, and instead she pressed up against his body.

“Litleo…” Rockruff started. “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while now. And, you know, it never seemed appropriate, so this seems as good a time as any. I have to ask… Are you-“

“I thought I picked up an odd presence! Your aether… it caaaallllls to me,” a metallic voice rasped.

Both of them jumped to their feet and went back to back.

“Shoot, your question will have to wait. Ghost-type, you think?” Litleo said, scanning around.

“No. Too sinister. I’m getting only bad news from them,” Rockruff answered.

“I can tell you I’m muuuuuch better than any old Ghost-type,” the voice said.

“Are we fighting?” Litleo asked, mane starting to simmer.

A reddish haze descended from above, somehow using the clouds to obscure their body. A sharp tipped tail stuck out from it, as well as a pair of thin, metal claws. The left claw gripped the corner of the altar, scraping into the material. “ Resistance? I think not. “

“We’re running.” Light encased them as Rockruff smashed their second Escape Orb.

---

Screeching invaded Litleo’s head, scattering the flashback. She yelled in pain, clutching her head and falling face down. “Aaagh!” She clawed away at the grass. Anything to take away the tug of war going on in her mind.

It was as if she crossed a forbidden line in her own head. Resisting, repelling, tearing down any attempt to go through.

And she couldn’t fight back.

A pair of hands grabbed Litleo’s shoulders. She could barely hear Ezera speaking. “Litleo? Hey, what’s the matter?!”

Litleo’s vision was too blurred to look at him. The voices were all blending together. Imaginary, memory, reality- she couldn’t tell. She just needed to get away from here.

“Can’t stay- get me out…” Litleo uttered through gritted teeth.

“Is she okay?”

“Crap! She’s not looking good. Dewott, put her…”

She felt herself lifted into the air. Her eyelids closed, and another scene ran across her thoughts.

“Did you realllly think you could run from ME?!”

Litleo and Rockruff zipped across the array of trees, panting for breath. She came to a halt, leaning against a tree for support. “We can’t outrun him at this rate! You have to leave.”

Rockruff ran to her side. “That’s not an option,” he retorted, every feature of his expression resolute.

“What are you- he wants me, not you, alright?! You can’t stay!” Litleo argued, trying to push him away.

He only pushed back harder. “I’m not abandoning you. Remember what I said?”

Her paw fell. “But… but… then you mean…”

Rockruff put his forehead to hers. “We’ll face it together.”

“FOUND YOU!”

Litleo would’ve shouted had she not drifted unconscious first.

---

Ezera and Dewott managed to quickly thank the wildmon on the way out, breathing a tired sigh of relief as they exited the forest. Although they hadn’t come out the same area they went in, that concern mattered way less compared to Litleo’s current state of well-being.

“I think you can set her down. We should be far enough,” Ezera said, slinging the satchel off Litleo.

Dewott laid her down and sat crossing his legs. “That was suspenseful.“

“Yeah, I feel bad for leaving so suddenly… Peia looked really worried. Also, sorry for making you carry her that far. My arms aren’t exactly equipped for it.”

“Can’t be sorry if it was needed. Team effort, right?” He held out his fist.

Ezera knelt beside him, returning the grin Dewott had and fist bumping. “For sure.” He watched Litleo’s breathing for a couple moments. “I wonder what she saw. Must be pretty bad for her to black out from it.”

“She’ll be looking for an extra ear when she wakes up. I’ll make sure to give you two some space.“

“We were all there! You don’t need to be left out.”

Dewott waved it off. “You’re the ‘mon she trusts. Litleo will only be guarded around me.” He got to his feet. “Let’s look for a place to camp. It’ll be night soon.“

Dewott took Litleo up in his arms again. Ezera led them on, venturing farther into the grassland. The sun dipped under the horizon when they set up camp at the top of a grassy ridge, both because of the outlook it gave over the rest of the plains and because they were too tired to go anywhere else.

Litleo woke up, muttering a couple words of thanks before going silent. She wasn’t in the mood to talk, they could tell. The group ate Apples to ease their stomachs, then laid out the thin blankets Litleo managed to pack. They also placed the spare sticks taken from the forest floor and burned them to have a mini fire. Some warmth was always welcome.

“Hopefully this camping experience isn’t horrible for you,” Dewott signed, sitting to the left of Ezera.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m doing great. When I camped, the floor was all rocky and uneven and had too many bugs,” he replied, cringing at the memory.

“Bug-types bothered you?“

Right, bugs meant a different thing here. “Uh… a couple. Luckily they were an annoyance at best.”

Dewott laid down, facing the sky. “It’s going to be weird returning to Applin.“

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve rarely traveled outside the guild as much as we have. Staying in the kitchen all day might make me restless now,” he signed, grinning. “I’ll have to take my energy out on the food.“

Ezera lightly chuckled. “Gonna make more messes in the kitchen for us to clean up?”

“Be prepared to clean the ceiling.“

“You just love taking jabs at me every chance, huh?” Ezera laughed to himself, before glimpsing a pensiveness cross Dewott’s face. “I meant that as a joke, just to clarify.”

“I know. I just…” Dewott pulled his scarf up. He repeatedly moved his paws, figuring out what to sign. “Do you think I can be called an honorable ‘mon?“

‘Weird question,‘ Ezera thought. “One hundred percent. I’ve seen how hard you’ve been trying. If that’s not honorable, I don’t know what is.”

“I see… I’m happy you think so.” Dewott unclipped his scalchop, holding it close to his chest. “I’m tired. Sleep well, Ezera.“

“Goodnight.”

Soon, Dewott was snoring softly to the dying flames. Sleepiness had not yet claimed the other two, but each remained to themselves even as Litleo eventually made her way to the fire.

Ezera noted Litleo’s slightly raised shoulders. He scooted closer to her, unsure of how close he should get. “Are you still shaken up from earlier?”

“…You can tell? I hoped today would bring a little luck back to my side,” Litleo said, watching the last of the fire’s embers and crackling fade away. She let out a long sigh. “It’s not my turn I suppose.”

A deep quiet surrounded them. With their light source gone, the only thing left to do was admire the view. At first glance, the night sky could’ve been mistaken for being a simple black. But on closer inspection, a royal blue seemed to be painted from the horizon into the deepest depths of the galaxy. Add to the mix the hundreds of visible stars, it was hard not to look away.

Ezera let his thoughts wander. ‘I wonder if Earth is visible from here,‘ he admired, fidgeting with his fingers. ‘Or any constellations. It’d be nice to know just how far from home I am…‘

“These memories, I’m afraid of what they mean. This feeling I have building up… it’s not good,” Litleo went on.

That got him to halt his fidgeting. “…Um, I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know what to say.” Telling her to keep holding on to hope would be hollow. If he was going to speak, it would be from his heart, like he always practiced.

“…I’d love more than anything to be wrong. But what if… what if…?” She faltered, unable to get the words out.

Ezera eyed Litleo’s outlined form- a dim but bright silhouette against a dark, multicolored background. Although they’d had no shortage of problems, on each one they came out on top… mostly okay. He admired Litleo’s resilience, standing out just like she was in this background. “Then… you know I’m here.”

Litleo faced him. “That’s what I’d thought you’d say.”

“Yeah, well, it’s true. You’re carrying the weight of the world right now. But no one said there couldn’t be another person carrying the continents for you. You’d still be holding the world, just not all of it. When you’re ready to take the full weight again, I’ll give it to you.”

“Okay, mister poetic. Isn’t your world full enough, with getting back home and other…” She eyed Dewott. “Human stuff?”

“I’ve got a little spare space. Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not fair to you,” Litleo countered, laying down.

“And it’s not fair for you to deal with this in the first place, but here we are,” he argued, making sure she knew he was looking straight at her.

A resigned huff left Litleo. “Sometimes I wish I could tell you to just be selfish.”

“Technically, I am.”

“How?”

“It’s not like my niceness is a hundred percent genuine.” Ezera picked at the grass, debating what he should let out. “I do it to prove things to myself.”

“But you’re still helping others in the process.”

Ezera shrugged. “I guess. It’s still selfish to me. I’m using someone for my gain, you know?”

Litleo didn’t rush to break the silence, instead figuring out what to say next. “I have to ask you, Ezera, if I’m responsible for-“

Ezera practically jumped up. “You’re not.”

“I haven’t finished-“

“You’re not.”

“What makes you so sure?” Litleo raised her whisper’s volume. “What I remembered could mean I-“

“Because I know you. You’re good, okay? It shouldn’t be me of all people saying this, but get it together. You aren’t at fault, end of story.” Even in the dark, he could see Litleo reeling like he slapped her. Heck, he sort of slapped himself too. He was essentially negating her feelings, but he truly felt that she wasn’t to blame. “Now, what’s your next plan?”

“…Huh. I’ve seen more sides of you today than I have over the weeks combined,” she said, giggling softly.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing… I suppose my next plan is to tell Reuniclus about the pokémon that chased us that day. I’ve no clue who they are.”

“Mmk. You can explain it in more detail to me tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

Ezera settled in, making sure his tusks weren’t poking Dewott or Litleo. It was weird how all three of them were on separate teams, yet united in this rag tag group for the day. A part of him wished they were a real team, just so nights like this could be had every night. For now, he savored this moment of being surrounded by friends.

“Also… thank you, Ezera. I mean it.”

“Anytime.”